ASSESSING THE DISABILITY INCLUSIVENESS OF UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS IN HONG KONG

Housing fuzzy recommender system: A systematic literature review

In recent years, significant attention has been paid to fuzzy recommender systems for housing, highlighting their ability to effectively handle the imprecision and uncertainty inherent in the real estate market. With the objective of improving the filtering of recommendations in the real estate sector, the PRISMA 2020 methodology was applied to perform new systematic reviews using its checklist on six academic databases from 1985 to 2024. RawGraph, Orange Data Minig, Jamovi and R software were used for document classification and data visualization. After classification, 1003 articles were obtained, of which 46.36% were in Scopus, and 57.82% were articles. At the end of the type, 50 articles were identified as primary, subjecting them to six research questions. It was found that 65% of the algorithms used fuzzy logic, 60% used spatial data, and 80% evaluated performance. The main difficulties were related to the integration of various sources of information. Although incorporating reclusive methods is anticipated in future systems, the need remains to address challenging areas to improve the overall performance of fuzzy recommender systems. The reviewed articles focus on enhancing fuzzy data-based recommendation systems by proposing flexible and less intrusive techniques. The significance of incorporating contextual information and exploring hybrid approaches is emphasized, along with the evaluation in real world environments, averaging artificial intelligence.

Inclusiveness assessment tool for disabled persons in higher education facilities

Purpose

Globally, there is a growing proportion of disabled people as a result of different circumstances. This growth generates attention and leads to ways to integrate the affected population into society. Addressing such disability and integration is particularly important at buildings level, enabling and expanding the scope of activities for people with disabilities (PWDs). The rising number of PWDs and the need to integrate them into society create a need for action to improve their living condition and integration into society. This study aims to examine the issue of accessibility for PWDs in higher education facilities in Qatar.

Design/methodology/approach

Addressing accessibility at buildings level is particularly important in higher education because it enables inclusion in training and education and increases the potential for productive engagement in society. The study aims to develop an objective tool to assess and measure accessibility in educational institutions. Five selected buildings were examined and evaluated at Qatar University based on proximity, multi-use, vertical and horizontal circulation availability. The survey respondents were randomly selected. An existing assessment method was used in surveying respondents, including those with and without disabilities.

Findings

A comparative study was conducted to explore the discrepancy between facility users with and without disability, indicating the gap in existing tools.

Originality/value

The developed tool generates the same outcome when conducted by different assessors, indicating the level of compliance and percentage met as a benefit, not a focus. It allows professionals and non-professionals with minimal experience to conduct the assessment.

Mobility challenges and experiences for students with disabilities in Tanzania universities: dealing with a social inclusion nightmare in property management

Purpose

Despite the presence of people with disabilities in higher learning institutions, facilities provided for both accommodation and classrooms prove to be ineffective in fulfilling their expectations. However, the existing measures have tended to be rigid and unable to incorporate the ever evolving user experiences from constantly enrolling students in public campus buildings. The paper is premised on the notion of social inclusivity of the built environment in public universities through user experiences, measured through a qualitative lens.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was qualitative and deployed a case study strategy. Respondents were purposively identified and subjected to in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and focused group discussions. The full realisation of the sample frames was determined by data saturation. Data from responses was thereafter sorted, coded and categorised through a systematic thematic analysis. Some responses reactions were reported verbatim. The anonymity of the respondents was observed though through the use of pseudonyms.

Findings

This paper has indicated respondents' experiences regarding social inclusivity of the institutional built environment and thematically categorised them in six areas: complaints mechanism and feedback, pre- and post-enrolment experiences, namely; complaints mechanism and feedback, pre- and post-enrolment experiences and social support as a property management policy. Others include, representation in university decision-making organs, perceptions regarding disability and its needs and distribution of facilities and site works. It recommends that property management practices should be re-oriented to ensure the sustainability of learning facilities for the disabled, taking into consideration the ever-evolving needs and preferences of PWD user students with disabilities.

Originality/value

Linking the social and human rights models to actual experiences of property occupiers is unique. The author believes that it will, in addition to the existing models and strategies, improve on a better achievement of inclusivity of building use used by all categories of members of the society.

Area-Level Associations between Built Environment Characteristics and Disability Prevalence in Australia: An Ecological Analysis

The importance of health-promoting neighborhoods has long been recognized, and characteristics of local built environments are among the social determinants of health. People with disability are more likely than other population groups to experience geographic mobility and cost restrictions, and to be reliant on 'opportunity structures' available locally. We conducted an ecological analysis to explore associations between area-level disability prevalence for people aged 15-64 years and area-level built environment characteristics in Australia's 21 largest cities. Overall, disability was more prevalent in areas with lower walkability and lower local availability of various neighborhood amenities such as public transport, healthier food options, public open space, physical activity and recreation destinations and health and mental health services. These patterns of lower liveability in areas of higher disability prevalence were observed in major cities but not in regional cities. Our findings suggest that geographically targeted interventions to improve access to health-enhancing neighborhood infrastructure could reduce disability-related inequalities in the social determinants of health.